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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098617">Why fewer spiders are in the far meadow all of a sudden...</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/autodidactic_squirrel/pseuds/autodidactic_squirrel'>autodidactic_squirrel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Trolls (2016), Trolls: The Beat Goes On (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bugs &amp; Insects, F/M, Fear, Hope, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, Pre-Trolls: World Tour, Regret, Rescue, Waiting, Wilderness Survival</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 23:34:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,694</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24098617</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/autodidactic_squirrel/pseuds/autodidactic_squirrel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Reports came in that the far meadow had many fewer spiders than usual and Poppy couldn't wait to investigate. Did she listen when Branch explained the usual reason for a sudden drop in the population of a predator? No, of course not. Nor did she listen when he suggested they go a different day, when they'd have more hours of daylight left.<br/>Looking back, he probably should have pushed harder on both counts...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Branch &amp; Queen Poppy (Trolls), Branch/Queen Poppy (Trolls)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Best Broppy, Top Shelf Broppy</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Why fewer spiders are in the far meadow all of a sudden...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cotton Candy shapes drifted leisurely across a fading blue sky. Breezes whispered past, rustling tall grasses all around him as he lay looking up at the sky. He rarely took the time to watch them, to enjoy the clouds as they slid inexplicably from shape to shape, horizon to horizon, combining, dissolving, and reforming. At least he could see them now. Romanticizing the condensing of water vapor and atmospheric movement kept his mind busy and his thoughts carefully away from its darker corners.</p><p>Blue continued its slow surrender, shifting into grayish orange and pink. Pink. Was she ok? Had she made it? Hope blossomed in his chest. He knew she had. He laughed at himself in his head; <em>she</em> was the optimistic one.</p><p>The only remaining cloud in his grass-framed window slid from view. The haze of glorious pink overtook the last traces of blue in the slowly failing light of day. The air around him stilled as the sun settled in for the night.</p><p>She’d try and go back for him. It’s how she was, never abandoning anyone. Risks and consequences? What are those?</p><p>It drove him crazy and he admired her for it.</p><p>Hopefully the others would stop her. Night was creeping in, staking what remained of day. Better that she not be in the forest when night had truly fallen. Did they have sense enough to keep an eye on her until morning? It did no good to keep her from throwing herself recklessly into searching the woods at twilight only to have her sneak out to do exactly that, alone, in the dead of night.</p><p>And yet, part of him longed to hear her gracelessly crashing through the understory and to see her silly grin. He wanted so much to <em>somehow</em> make it back to her. ...Poppy... A vision of her, consumed by grief and cradling his lifeless form struck him, landing like lead in his stomach. He needed to live; he couldn’t bear bringing her so much pain.</p><p>But what were his options?<br/>He couldn’t move. The spiderwasp's venom had taken care of that. But they were daytime terrors, it wouldn’t return to collect its victim until after dawn. He shuddered internally. That was the worst outcome, the wasp returning, dragging him back to some hole or discarded burrow and sealing him in with its fertilized egg and leaving him there, trapped inside his own body, until the larva emerged and slowly devoured him.</p><p>He might get eaten by some other wandering predator, one having a much better day than he was. In his current position, he was, essentially, a free meal.</p><p>But on the bright side, there was always hypothermia. Even in the early summer temperatures dropped to the low 50s at night and unable to take shelter or move to keep warm, the cool ground would suck the heat, and with it the life, from his body. That was probably the kindest way to go.</p><p>The sky blazed a glorious pink, bordering on the color that intruded on nearly all his waking thoughts, which occupied his dreams, and resides within his heart. He hoped she was back at the village and safe. That someone had stopped her, but who was he kidding, Poppy was out here, somewhere, searching. They hadn’t stopped her from going to Bergan Town, he’d watched dumbfounded as no one lifted a finger to help or stop her. They simply, cheerfully wished her on her way.<br/>So she was out here. Poppy would find him.</p><p>Unless she hadn’t made it.</p><p>No. The intrusive thought landed like a thousand pounds on his chest before he was able to squash it. She was alive. She had to be.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em><br/>"Poppy!"<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>He didn’t even think, he just threw himself into her, sending them both tumbling to the ground and away from the spiderwasp.<br/>Was she injured?<br/>No, their eyes met for a moment, twin expressions on their faces. They were both ok. He caught sight of a black blur and shoved her away and himself backward as the wasp stabbed the now empty space between them.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Run!"<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>They took off in opposite directions. He stopped, looking for her, and turned to see her do the same. The wasp darted towards Poppy.<br/>His brain caught up with his instincts as he held the creature back from her with his hair.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Poppy, GO!" But she hesitated, she wouldn't leave him.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>The pressure he’d been resisting went slack, throwing him off balance and the wasp was on him.<br/>It should have hurt as the stinger pierced into his thigh, but it wasn’t designed to inflict pain. Like a finely honed knife, it glided through his skin and muscle, but he felt it only as a shock and pressure. The smooth stinger was just as suddenly withdrawn as Poppy jerked the wasp off of him by its wing, damaging it. Injured and enraged, the spiderwasp lunged after her. Branch got unsteadily to his feet. She was leading it away from him and keeping a safe distance from it herself. She’d get away, that much was clear. The damaged wing slowed it enough that she should be able to escape. He sighed in relief and started to make his own way across the meadow, towards the forest, and eventually the village.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He felt...wrong, each step less coordinated than the last. One foot after the other, he stumbled forward. He had to at least make the tree line. Help, if it came, would never find him in the tall grass. His foot caught on his ankle and he spilled to the ground. As the paralysis steadily robbed him of voluntary motion he rolled to his back and turned his face to the sky.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He panicked. Total paralysis would stop his breathing, his heart would stop mere minutes after that.</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>His panic ebbed as he realized he was, in fact, still alive.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Still breathing.<br/></em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A damp mist, to fine to be called rain, filled the air. Great, in the cool-damp he didn’t have a hope of surviving the night. He already felt cold, and now hypothermia would set in that much faster. Poppy would find him, so long as there was something left to find. He felt hollow. How she would react when she found him? Would she fall to her knees, weeping and holding him, crying his name?</p><p>Would she become gray?</p><p>The sight of it in his minds-eye was soul-crushing, it tore into him and his heart broke for her. He couldn’t do that to her. Couldn’t let that happen. The pain in his chest increased with every breath, the inevitableness of what he imagined overwhelmed him.</p><p>His body hurt. Really hurt. The pain in his hands and feet became nearly unbearable. He clenched his fist instinctively as another wave of pain pulsed through it.<br/>Realization hit a moment after that. He opened and closed his hand. It was hard, painful, and took real effort but he could move his fingers. Experimentally, he tried to move his toes. Mixed success, but that could mean that the paralysis was wearing off. Could that happen? Clearly it could. He focused on moving anything he could.</p><p><br/>Hope flared and died...at this rate it wouldn’t wear off fast enough. But, giving up wasn’t an option. Maybe he could move enough to keep hypothermia away long enough to be found? While it seemed unlikely, his only other option was to lay here and wait to die.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>How much time had passed? Shivering had come and gone. He thought he was still moving his finger and toes, but he’d long since lost awareness of them. Presumably, they were still there.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Black.</p><p> </p><p>All black.</p><p> </p><p>Was night really this dark or had he closed his eyes?</p><p>Shifting air across his dry lips told him he was still breathing. Barely. He felt...odd. Like being in a boat for a long time, then returning to land. His thoughts swirled around. He grabbed at them, but they kept slipping away.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...slipping away.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He should feel alarmed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>That should really alarm him.</p><p> </p><p>Some part of him woke up--he was going to die here.</p><p>His thoughts slid back into focus.<br/>He was dying. He didn’t want to die! He had so much he still need to do. Things he didn’t finish. He’d left dishes in his sink this morning and the spring water pipe at the far side of the village was leaking again. He’d promised to come tomorrow to fix it. The stupid thing needed repair every few weeks and he was beginning to suspect sabotage. Poppy thought the Trolls who lived there just liked seeing him and he only went there to make repairs.</p><p> </p><p>And Poppy.</p><p> </p><p>Oh, Poppy...<br/>He wasn’t ready to leave her. Not by a long shot. There was just so much...</p><p> </p><p>He’d written about his feelings for her a billion times, line after line. Poetry mostly, some of it ok, the vast majority trash. He’d filled his journal with words, trying to find a way to describe what he felt for her.<br/>Page after page, he’d fill one, make another, and start again, no closer to capturing the essence of whatever it was between them. What he hoped was between them.</p><p>Words could be so cheap, shallow, and difficult to control. They hit everybody differently.<br/>Sometimes, after hours, days, what felt like lifetimes of failed attempts, he’d catch the right ones before they could vanish, or melt, or be blown away.</p><p>Those times he’d put pen to paper and feel like a god.<br/>He’d conquered something previously indescribable. He’d done it. And it was perfect.<br/>And finally satisfied, he’d sleep.</p><p>But in the morning, he’d reread his masterpiece...<br/>Drivel. Perfectly humiliating crap.<br/>In other words: fire-starter.<br/>That was it, the last try. Every possible combination of words had failed, and he was out of ideas.<br/>He’d put up his books and take life seriously. Get some actual work done. Achieve something.</p><p>Then she’d walk into his life, turn it upside down and give it a good shake to see what came loose. She’d do something so...her. And he’d just stare. How could she so quickly fill every corner of his mind leaving him with no room left to think?<br/>She was the most frustrating troll in the world. She made him furious and embarrassed.<br/>She scared him more than anything.<br/>Because he needed her.<br/>He didn’t know how to be with her.<br/>And couldn’t be without her.</p><p> </p><p>Then, it happened. Bergens. They’d been found.</p><p>He watched her leave his bunker and the air in the room went with her. He’d followed her like he often did, to be sure she was ok and to be there if she wasn’t.<br/>She’d needed him then. And he’d been there.<br/>After that things were different.</p><p> </p><p>He was different.</p><p>...and he wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>But it was enough.</p><p>...and it really, really wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>They were friends--just friends.<br/>Friends that got on each other’s nerves. That could say just the wrong thing and make something normal be very awkward, but when it really mattered, say just the right thing to put the world back together.</p><p>They could hardly stand each other and would regularly take off in a huff leaving startled friends stock-still and staring after them wondering what had just happened.</p><p>He brought out the worst in her and she brought out his flaws and neuroses like no one else could. Yet somehow, paradoxically, they were both better for it.<br/>He was his best self when she needed him.<br/>And she was there for him.</p><p>They accepted one another, more or less.<br/>Sure, he’d try and change her, she’d try and change him. They’d push and pull and land somewhere in between.</p><p>...</p><p>Ugh. What was the point?<br/>He shoved aside the gooey internal monologue. Just more useless words, trying to pin down the most essential thing in his life. And he would fail. He had failed, repeatedly.<br/>He laughed to himself, seemed like he might literally die trying.</p><p>Even to him it sounded like quitting. Poppy wouldn’t give up. She’d stay positive.<br/>She was out there right now, believing with everything she had that she’d find him and everything would be A-Okay. It churned his insides something awful. He didn’t want her to be disappointed.</p><p><br/>And if he died, she would be.</p><p><br/>In a big way.</p><p> </p><p>And if she felt at all like he did...<br/>He should have kept himself away. Should have protected her from this. He knew it was coming, it was inevitable. It’s how life works. But he put it from his mind, choosing instead willful ignorance in exchange for happiness. But bad things <em>do</em> happen and there’s nothing you can do about it.</p><p> </p><p>Except... you could still live your life. You could hope for the best, plan for the worst, and deal with whatever came.</p><p>And they had.</p><p>And it was great.</p><p> </p><p>...But now it was over.</p><p>And he was the lucky one in this situation. Poppy... Poppy would be the one left behind. It wasn’t fair. She deserved better. More. He shouldn’t have let this happen. He shouldn’t have gotten close. Should have kept her from getting attached.</p><p>He tried to regret it. He should, but he couldn’t. Even the pain was too precious to him to let it go.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Right now, he was lost. And he was scared.<br/>And all he really wanted was for her to come find him and make it all alright.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>So instead of his fear he focused on her.</p><p>...</p><p>He could see her. Picture her so clearly.</p><p>She’d be standing there waiting for him, near his bunker, inpatient as ever. They’d have no plans for once and all the time in the world to do whatever they wanted. He’d spend all of it with her. Filled with warmth and a little breathless, he looked at his beautiful queen. God, he felt so eager for... <em>everything</em> with her. She was his joy, and she was here. He sighed. Would she be his?</p><p>Only one way to find out. He tried to let his stress go in little puffs of breath. Now or never. Poppy’s face lit up with a huge silly smile as she saw him. He never got over how cute she could be. She bounced, skipped, and jostled him into a big hug. He returned it happily as he always did now.</p><p>He’d never refuse her again.</p><p> </p><p>...That thought, it hurt. But, it shouldn’t, so he shook it off.</p><p> </p><p>Poppy was in his arms, so all was as it should be. Well...nearly. He broke their hug and his hands slid down naturally to hers and his eyes followed them. There were times he just couldn’t look at her or he’d lose his nerve.<br/>She dipped her head down, trying to catch his gaze, or at least enter his field of view. He tucked his chin further, avoiding her.<br/>Such a fool. He wasn’t seriously thinking of confessing. He didn’t even have the words to say it property, for crying out loud!</p><p>“Branch?”</p><p>His name on her lips, gentle and questioning. Probably wondering why her “pal” was acting so freakin’ weird.<br/>How much of him was blushing? maybe all of him. He felt warm enough for it.</p><p>He took a long breath and risked a glance at her.<br/>Only, it wasn’t a glance. It lingered as he studied her face. Her freckles sparkled. Some stray glitter clung here and there as well. He wasn’t brave enough to brush it off, but if he hadn’t been holding her hands he might have done it without thinking. That happened with her bangs sometimes. Her eyes searched his. She tilted her head considering him and her bangs shifted across her forehead. He imagined that they tickled her, a part of why she always smiled. He loved her smile.</p><p>How long had he been staring and saying nothing? He looked away, over her shoulder. A small uncomfortable sigh escaped his lips with his breath. Looking down, he shook his head, mostly to himself.</p><p>“Poppy...” he meant to keep speaking, but looking at her again, all the words fell away. Stupid grin on his lips, he just stood there. Whatever it was he’d planned to say didn’t matter. She was beautiful... His Poppy, looking confused and biting her lip. He started to look away again, but she squeezed his hands and held his gaze, stepping closer to him, lifting their hands to hold them nearer her heart.</p><p>His own soared high into his chest and beat wildly about. He tilted his head, looking at her from a new angle, trying to figure her out. Poppy, what’s going on in that mind of yours? She blinked slowly, wet her lips, and bit the lower one. Oh.<br/>Breathless, they leaned closer. He closed his eyes, intoxicated by her breath on his lips. His own breath none to steady.</p><p>He wanted this. It was his dream, but what if it was wrong, what if he ruined it? Ruined everything.</p><p>He panicked and bailed, pulling his hands free and throwing his arms wide, encircling her in a sudden tight hug. Her hands pressed into his chest with no place else to go. She stiffened momentarily, surprised by the sudden change, then relaxed. She leaned her head on him and nuzzled into his shoulder and neck. His breath was a little ragged, his emotions keeping him off balance. She softened in his arms and he pulled her closer. She was so important, so dear to him. His breathing slowly evened out and he relaxed. He held her just as close, but without the desperate need from moments before. He leaned back to look at her. She looked at him, hopeful and a little nervous. Poppy blinked slowly, dropping her gaze before looking up at him again and lifting her chin ever so slightly. Her lips parted and his mouth went dry. She closed her eyes as their breath mingled and noses rubbed affectionately, their foreheads touching softly.</p><p>“Poppy?” His voice came out a bit higher than he’d hoped. He nuzzled her gently and ran his hand over her shoulder and back, then hugged her little closer. “May I... kiss you?”</p><p>Poppy smiled and shook her head, returning his hug.<br/>“What do you think I’ve been waiting for?”</p><p>“I just-”</p><p>“Yes, Branch. You can kiss me.”</p><p>The words a husky whisper. He smiled, laughed silently at the two of them, and closed the distance between her waiting lips and his own and the world disappeared.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>...</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Branch opened his eyes and shut them again. Everything was painful, bright, and purple. So much purple. His eyes hurt and things were blurry. He blinked hard a few times and tried to sit up but struggled and something pushed him back down. That was just as well, he felt awful. His head and body ached, his skin burned, and he was cold. And confused. His thoughts just weren’t lining up right.</p><p>His eyes finally cooperated and out of the purple blur overhead resolved the shape of Dr. Plum Plimsy. The process left him dizzy and a bit nauseous. He felt wretched.</p><p>But Dr. Plum looked relieved and smiled.<br/><br/>“Welcome back, young man. You gave us quite a scare.” She stepped back, presumably to return the lightning bugs in her hands back to their carrier, and something pink flew out of nowhere and landed heavily on his chest, knocking the wind out of him. Poppy didn’t notice and hugged him fiercely as he struggled to breathe.</p><p>“Branch! I knew you’d be ok!” Poppy hugged and nuzzled him much too roughly. “I knew it. I just knew it!”<br/><br/>Dr. Plum chuckled, “Ok, Queen Poppy, please let my patient breathe.” He tried not to gasp too obviously as she removed her weight from his chest.<br/><br/>“Sorry... I’m just relieved, you know.” She shuffled in place a little bashfully. Poppy embarrassed was an extremely cute sight. Better now that he could breathe again.<br/><br/>“Branch?” Dr. Plum continued, “Do you know where you are?”<br/><br/>He croaked something, cleared his throat, and tried again. “Hospital Pod.”<br/><br/>“That’s right. Now can you remember what happened to you?”</p><p>Could he? Things were a little mixed up. A nurse leaned into view and took a heavy thing off his shoulders, which turned out to be a hot pack and replaced it with a newer, hotter one, placing one on his chest as well. He hadn’t actually been aware it was there.</p><p>“Branch?”<br/><br/>“Sorry. Things are a little...wonky...um. A spiderwasp...we got attacked.”<br/><br/>“That’s right, then what.”<br/><br/>“Uh...We got separated.” He looked over at Poppy for confirmation. “I got stung. I know I was in the meadow a long time...”<br/><br/>Dr. Plum and Poppy shared a brief look, “the order is a little off, but yeah, more or less.” Poppy smiled at him, like she was in on some sort of a joke. “Yah know, there’s some “you grabbing hold of the thing with your hair” and “me saving you from it” missing in the middle.” She was definitely smirking now.</p><p>“Wait. I thought that... I remember...”</p><p>Poppy laughed. It was a great sound. It made him feel warm in a way that had nothing to do with the hot packs positioned around him. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. But no, you’re right. You saved me first, then I saved you.” She reached down and squeezed his hand. “Basically, we saved each other.”<br/><br/>Dr. Plum decided to cut in, “But, the both of you need to stop getting yourselves into such difficult situations. You had the village worried sick, Branch. Our young queen was beside herself with worry.”<br/><br/>“Hey! I knew he’d be ok. I told her I knew you would be.” Ah, Poppy, defending her image as the eternal optimist...<br/><br/>“Uh-huh. Over and over.” Dr. Plum gave her a stern look. Poppy chose to look elsewhere, lightly blushing, and pouted.<br/><br/>“So, I may have been a little worried...” Poppy was admitting to a non-happy-fluffy feeling in front of someone other than him. Branch had to raise an eyebrow at that. Not her usual style. Then he softened his expression and smiled at her guiltily. She must have been frantic to admit to being worried. He squeezed her hand in return. Hugging her would be better, but he really didn’t want her to crush him again just yet, he hurt enough as it was.<br/><br/>“Wait a sec. How did I get back? The last thing I remember, it was definitely night and I was in no condition to save myself.”<br/><br/>Plum chose to jump in before Poppy could answer. “Our queen rallied half the village and led a rather desperate search for you.”<br/><br/>“Oh, please. I wasn’t that bad," she turned to Branch, “I promise.” She didn’t want him to worry. Somehow that just made him feel worse. And half the village out at night in the meadow and the forest frightened him half to death.<br/><br/>“Poppy! How could...? They shouldn’t... Is everyone OK!” The forest was so dangerous and most of the village wasn’t remotely equipped to deal with what they might encounter during the day, let alone at night. It was ridiculously dangerous for them to have been out there. They shouldn’t have been out there. What if someone was hurt or worse? He couldn’t have that on his conscience, too.<br/><br/>“Hey, whoa! Chill out. It’s ok. We were careful, ok. I made everyone go in groups of five or six. Big enough to handle small and medium stuff...”<br/><br/>“...small enough to stay vaguely quiet and escape from larger threats.” He finished the thought for her. He was surprised. And proud. He’d pitched that exact plan once when they were arguing about trolls wandering around in unfamiliar territory. He had no idea she’d actually been listening.<br/>“Queen Poppy, you are full of surprises.”<br/><br/>“Its part of my charm,” she boasted. “Besides, it keeps things interesting.” She got that right. Too right sometimes, but all he could focus on at the moment was how incredibly she was growing into her role as queen. And he got to be right here with her as she did it. Poppy was amazing.<br/><br/>“Sorry to interrupt,” Dr. Plum didn’t that look at all sorry, “but you need to take this.” She handed him a small cup of liquid. He trusted Dr. Plum and so took it unquestioningly. Sickening sweet failed to cover something much more disgusting. He gaged on it and must have made a face, because Poppy nearly collapsed in a fit of giggles. He tried to scowl at her and almost succeed in keeping a smile from his lips.<br/><br/>“Ahem...the medicine will help counteract the paralytic effect of the wasp venom and should help you sleep. And you do need to rest. You had severe hypothermia when they brought you in.” That sobered things. Poppy still had tears in her eyes from laughing but looked like she felt something much more serious. His guilt gnawed at his insides and he looked back to Dr. Plum. “You nearly died, Branch. It was bad enough that the group that found you though you already had. Lucky for you, Poppy was nearby, and they rushed you back here. Otherwise,” Plum looked grim and shook her head, “I don’t know how it would have turned out.”<br/><br/>Shock and guilt fought for dominance, twisting his guts, and tightening his already aching chest. So many trolls knew he was hurt, knew he was in trouble, and were that worried about him? And he’d scared them. He didn’t think they even <em>liked</em> him.<br/><br/>His throat tightened up. And they’d thought he was dead. He wasn’t, he was safe, but felt himself panicking anyway. Had Poppy thought he was dead? That sickened him. No, she’d made sure he got here, but he couldn’t look at her to check, too scared to see her expression.<br/><br/>“I don’t ever like to lose a patient and I’ve come to count you as a friend, as well. Many trolls have. Take more care, Branch.” She looked from Branch to Poppy and back again. “We’ll talk more later. Get some sleep. You need to stay here at least until tomorrow morning. Queen Poppy?”<br/><br/>“I’m staying.” She said it quickly enough that it sounded like maybe she already had. Branch realized he had no idea what time, or for that matter, what day it was. He’d ask later, he yawned, straining to keep his eyes open. The medication was making him drowsy.<br/><br/>“Suit yourself, but then you can help me replace the hot packs. I’ll be down in a couple hours to do it again.”<br/>Poppy didn’t argue. Clearly, she’d helped with this already. Beyond that he didn’t think about much. He felt warm and sleepy. Poppy settled into the chair beside him, snuggling up to his arm and holding onto his hand.</p><p>...</p><p>Dr. Plum had gone and he was mostly asleep. Poppy squeezing him and saying his name pulled him partway back to wakefulness.<br/><br/>“Yeah?” he managed to mumble.<br/><br/>“Don’t scare me like that, ok?” Poppy. The tone of her voice...He fought through his grogginess, looked down at her, and squeezed her hand. She just held onto his arm firmly. Oh, Poppy, I’m sorry.<br/><br/>“Hey...” He squeezed her hand again then shifted and opened his arms to her. Wordlessly, she climbed up beside him and relaxed with a soft sigh into his embrace. He wanted to kiss the top of her head, but didn’t dare. Instead, he let his cheek rest there as he held her. Friends could do this. And they were friends. Poppy was his best friend in the world. He wanted to protect her from everything, but he had scared her badly. He held her more tightly and she pressed herself against him, holding him a little tighter too. Sleep slowly asserted itself. He didn’t want it to. He wanted to stay like this a while longer. Tomorrow they’d go back to normal, just be best pals. But he needed whatever this was and he’d hold onto it, and onto her, for as long as he possibly could.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Spider wasps are real, and they really do paralyze prey and seal it in (alive) with a fertilized egg. I learned about them recently and felt inspired. </p><p>I've been staring at this story too long to know what I feel about it anymore, if you know what I mean? </p><p>Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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